Three years ago this March the husband and I walked the first Marsden March for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. We walked from the hospital's Chelsea Site to it's Surrey Site in Sutton. It took us 5 1/2 hours to walk the 14 mile route. We had a great day, yes it was hard at times but we met great people and we knew we were doing it for a great cause. As we walked along the husband was tweeting our progress, he saw a tweet from a lady who was having brunch in Putney and had seen all the walkers going passed, the husband replied say that it was us and what we were doing it for.

We never really decided we were doing it for a reason, we just thought it was a great idea for a great cause. That year we raised £750 sponsorship from our very kind friends and family including some of mine in New Zealand, we were proud of what we achieved. As we are both interested in Photography and knew one of the fundraising organisers of the Marsden March, we were asked to take some photos along the way from the perspective of a walker. Here is the movie we made of Our 2011 Walk (You may need some tissues)

Last year we joined by the father in law, friends and The Black Dog. We had another great day although there was over 2000 people doing the 14 mile walk you felt like part of a team, everyone was encouraging everyone else. It was a lot more fun being in a group and Putney Hill didn't seem as steep as the year before. We were met at each of the stopping points by the mother in law which was great encouragement, its aways nice to see a familiar face. I think my favourite bits were the Starbucks break at Raynes Park (my half way treat), crossing the finish line with my friends, family and The Black Dog and getting our medals and a man coming up to us at the end and congratulating The Black Dog on finishing, I think we must have look a little confused as the man said that he had met The Black Dog at the start (probably meant that The Black Dog had jumped all over him at the start) We did the 14 miles in just under 5 hours and raised over £1000 and lots of blisters and aching bodies.

Over the years things change we are doing the Marsden March again ... The father in law will have just turned 72 when we do the walk and after joining us for two walks has decided to leaving it to the youngsters, one team member will be celebrating her sons first birthday - he was born on the morning of last years walk and we have even more of a reason to support the Royal Marsden and the amazing work they do.

I mentioned the lady that the husband was tweeting with on our first Marsden March walk. We continued to tweet with her after the walk and found out that she was local and enjoyed dogs. Not long after the walk we decided to meet up at Nonsuch Park, and walk the dogs. We hit it off straight away and had a lovely time, over the pass three years we have become good friends. Two years ago she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and was treated at the Royal Marsden. She has had her ups and downs through out her treatment but has always remained positive, not that she would have let on otherwise. She has completed her treatment at the Marsden, her hair is growing back and has been in remission for over 12 months!

So this year we are walking with pride for our friend, who is someone who we admire and for all the staff at the Royal Marsden who work so hard looking after people who feel like their world's have fallen apart. If you would like to support us this year here is our JustGiving Page

The Black Dog Bakery - bakers of healthy, wholesome dog treats made with all the care your dog deserves!

We are delighted to announce that we will be joined by some very special guests at the Wimbledon Village Fair this Saturday, 22nd June 2013!

Joining us will be BBC Radio London's Joanne Good and Anna Webb, also known as The Barking Blondes, along with their dogs, Molly & Matilda!

Jo and Anna will be signing copies of their new book 'The Barking Blondes' and chatting to fans & dog owners at our stall during the day!

And of course you will also have a chance to meet their canine companions, Molly & Matilda!

Jo is well known to listeners of BBC Radio London, as one of the presenter of the weekday afternoon show, and every Thursday from 3-4pm, together with Anna she also presents a special segment within the show called 'The Barking Hour', which is devoted to dogs and all things canine.

Jo & Anna attend many dog shows and related events during the year and we are delighted that they will be joining us at Wimbledon Village Fair.

A traditional 'curtain-raiser' to Wimbledon Fortnight and the tennis championships which start on Monday 24th June, Wimbledon Village Fair is organised by the Wimbledon Guild and takes place on the part of Wimbledon Common closest to Wimbledon Village - the area around Rushmere Pond.

This year the fair is on Saturday 22nd June 2013 from 10.30am - 5.30pm and includes a huge range of attractions for all the family including arts & crafts stalls, farmers market, petting zoo, children's entertainment, food villages, horse show, fun dog show and more. The Black Dog Bakery stall will be no. 41E, located on the north side of Rushmere pond, close to the Fun Dog Show.

The Black Dog Bakery - bakers of healthy, wholesome dog treats made with all the care your dog deserves!

As always the approach of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in a little over three weeks time, heralds the (supposed!) start of the British Summer, however, the 'Wimbledon Fortnight' itself is also heralded by the Wimbledon Village Fair, which traditionally takes place on the Saturday immediately preceding the tennis tournament.

We're delighted that The Black Dog Bakery will once again be participating in Wimbledon Village Fair, which this year will be on Saturday 22nd June 2013. The Fair takes place on the area of Wimbledon Common closest to Wimbledon Village, around the Rushmere pond; over 20,000 people attend each year to enjoy the wide range of attractions, events, displays and of course the fun dog show.

We hope to see you there on Saturday 22nd!

The Black Dog Bakery - bakers of healthy, wholesome dog treats made with all the care your dog deserves!

The sun is back with us today and we're happy, because we've got a busy weekend of fairs & events coming up for The Black Dog Bakery! That means there will be plenty of opportunities to get your paws on some fresh, healthy dog treats over the next few days! You will be able to find us at:

The Easter holiday is approaching and we have a couple of fairs coming up over the long weekend:

On Saturday 30th March, we will be at the RSPCA South Godstone's Summer Fayre between 11am-4pm. Pop down for a host of activities including an Easter Egg Hunt for the children. The centre is on the A22, about 5 mins south of the M25 junction 6; the postcode is RH9 8JB.

On Sunday 31st March, we'll be back at The Nightingale Pub in Balham for their Easter Craft Fair from 12pm-3pm. Ideally positioned between Wandsworth & Clapham Commons, the Nightingale is the perfect dog-friendly pub to stop off at after a good Easter Sunday walk - where better to enjoy a roast and watch the Boat Race in the warm?!

For full details of all of our forthcoming events check out our Events page

The Black Dog Bakery - bakers of healthy, wholesome dog treats made with all the care your dog deserves!

On Sunday 17th March 2013, like many people across the world, we shall probably enjoy a pint of Guinness to toast St Patrick's Day.

The Black Dog in his Marsden March t-shirt

However, this year we shall probably feel as though we have really earned our pint rather more than in previous years. That is because on that day along with a team of family, friends & of course, The Black Dog, we shall be taking part in The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity's Marsden March - a 14 mile walk between the two sites of the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea and in Sutton.

This is the third year of the Marsden March and each year it gets bigger & better. In 2012 over £1.2m was raised for the Royal Marsden's work at the forefront of the battle against cancer and this year they are hoping to beat that total when 4,500 people take on the walk.

We have taken part each year and are excited to be doing so again this year. During that first walk we were tweeting our progress and exchanged tweets with a lady who was watching the walkers go past a cafe in Putney where she was having brunch. We discovered a shared love of dogs and soon afterwards met up with the dogs for a walk and became good friends. You can imagine our sadness then, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. We're pleased to say however that after treatment by the wonderful staff at The Royal Marsden that she is well on the road to recovery.

Our video of The Marsden March 2011

This year then, when we set out on Sunday 17th March, we will have an extra motivation (in addition to the pint of Guinness!) - we will be walking to say thank you for the treatment our friend received from The Royal Marsden - a friend we are only lucky enough to have because of the Marsden March.

Entries are now closed to take part, but if you would like to come out and support the walkers or pre-register for next year you can find out more information at The Royal Marsden's website. The route passes through Putney, Wimbledon Common, Raynes Park & Nonsuch Park so there are plenty of places to come & cheer the walkers on!

If you would like to make a donation to The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity you can visit our Just Giving page to donate safely & securely online.

The Black Dog Bakery - bakers of healthy, wholesome dog treats made with all the care your dog deserves!